It is known to link a group of electronic gaming devices, such as slot machines, to a common bonus game. One such bonus game is a mystery jackpot. In a typical mystery jackpot, a number is randomly selected between upper and lower limits. After doing so, a predetermined percentage of each wager on the linked slot machines goes to a pool that is used to pay a mystery award. There may be several pools of varying sizes that accumulate simultaneously, each with its own random number selected between upper and lower limits.
Each credit played increments a counter starting from the lower limit. The machine that causes the count to meet or exceed the random number is awarded the accumulated pool. While this creates added incentive to play, there are disadvantages. Sometimes players are not aware why they have won or even that they have won a mystery award. In addition, play on the gaming devices tends to decrease immediately after a mystery award. In other words, players suspend playing to permit the mystery jackpot pool(s) to be built up and begin playing after the pool has been refreshed and after the odds for winning the mystery jackpot have increased.